1. Field of the Invention
The present invention pertains to a bed table comprised of movably interconnected sections which can be reconfigured as a chair. More particularly, the present invention pertains such tables having bedpan facilities.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Mobile bedside tables have been provided with a height suitable for coplanar alignment with a patient's bed so as to facilitate the patient's ability to slide onto the table. When provided with vehicular mounting, such tables can be used by an attendant to easily transport a patient from one location.
For patients who are unable to use remotely-located bathroom facilities, bed tables have been provided with commode or bedpan facilities. The tables may have one or more foldable sections to approximate roughly the configuration of a chaise lounge. Examples of these types of bed tables are given in U.S. Pat Nos. 1,560,422; 2,500,544; and 2,899,694. U.S. Pat. No. 3,050,741, for example, has multiple sections, foldable into a chair-like configuration.
Each of the above U.S. patents has vehicular mounting to provide patient transport from one location to another. When located in a hospital, for example, the vehicular mounting allows the bed table to be moved between patients' rooms, upon demand. This offers an improvement over the stationary convertible bed of U.S. Pat. No. 4,282,613, for example. Also, the bed tables with vehicular mounting need not be integrated into a particular bed structure, as in U.S. Pat. Nos. 2,500,741; 2,500,743; 3,503,083; 4,190,913; and 4,085,472, all of which are built into a patient's bed structure for dedicated use therewith.
It is important, especially when a bed table vehicle with bedpan facilities is shared among different patients, that the bedpan be quickly and easily removed for service at a remote location. Accordingly, there is a need for a simple and efficient system for moving the bedpan into and out of position. U.S. Pat. No. 2,204,343, for example, discloses a relatively massive mechanism operated by a hand crank, for raising and lowering a bedpan into and out of position.
Although the above bed tables with bedpan facilities have been provided in a variety of different styles and arrangements, improvements are still being sought and there is a strong demand for bed tables having most or all of the following features. For example, many of the convertible bed tables have hand cranks for raising a back support portion of the table or for reconfiguring the table into a chair. While it may be a relatively simple matter to operate the crank on an empty bed table, considerable physical effort is required when a bed table is converted into a different configuration with a patient lying on the table. This is, however, one o the attractive features of a bed table convertible into a chair or the like.
While this problem is alleviated by employing electric motors as the energy source for raising and lowering a patient on a convertible bed table, motorized arrangements suffer from a number of deficiencies. First, the bed table must be located at or near a supply of electrical current which might not be readily available at all locations of use. For example, when a bed table is employed in a domestic setting where the patient's sickroom may not have a electrical outlet immediately adjacent the desired location for the patient's bed. Further difficulties are encountered with beds having electric motors which are employed to raise and lower a patient. Depending on their physical condition, some patients find maintaining an erect body posture very exhausting even for relatively short periods of time. If a power failure should occur while the table is in an upright position, the patient may be made to experience a considerable amount of discomfort, particularly when being transported back into a bed. Further, even if hand cranks are available in such emergency conditions, an operator of the bed table, particularly in a domestic setting, might not be familiar with the crank and locking systems for the particular bed, and may not be familiar with mechanisms of that type in general. For larger patients, a considerable amount of force is applied to the mechanism particularly as the back support portion of the table is inclined at successively lower positions. As has been observed, older and informed patients might become alarmed at even the slightest sense of an uncontrolled condition in the apparatus supporting their body. It is, therefore, desirable that a bed table, particularly one with a vehicular mounting be completely self contained with its own separate uninterruptable energy source.
Frequently, a patient will be treated with oxygen, or other inflammable materials might be located proximate the patient's bed. The bed table should be safe for use in these and other hazardous environments.
It is desirable that bed tables having bedpan facilities, and particularly such bed tables shared with a number of different patients, be suitable for frequent steam cleaning and not have components such as greased mechanisms or electrical motors which are susceptible to damage when steam cleaned.
In providing convertible bed tables suitable for use with bedpan facilities, it is generally desirable that a patient be provided with an erect sitting posture. Accordingly, it is important that the bed table have foot and leg support as well as back support sections which are movable to approximate a chair-like position as closely as possible. It is also desirable that a bed table of this type be configurable to intermediate positions for patients who, for one reason or another, cannot be moved to completely erect positions.
It has been found that patients who can move themselves onto a bed table prefer to do so, even if such requires a great effort, rather than requiring an attendant's help. Such patients, it has been found, also prefer a bed table which will automatically change configurations into a chair-like position. It is desirable to provide these patients with an automatic system subject to their own control, for configuring the apparatus between chair-like and table-like configurations.